Present and future of obesity pharmacological treatment

pp 137-144

Abstract

Obesity is a metabolic disorder characterized by adipose tissue accumulation. Diet and exercise-based treatment are the prescription of choice buy have shown to be insufficient considering the ever-increasing number of patients with overweight and obesity in industrialized societies, now reaching epidemic levels. Even mild obesity produces an increase in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality with significant sanitary and economic cost. Patients in which lifestyle changes have failed and with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m² or ≥ 27 kg/m² plus two other risk factors, should be considered for the administration of antiobesity drugs. We currently have 2 antiobesity drugs available for long-term pharmacotherapy for obesity: orlistat and sibutramine. Their use must be combined with a modification in behavior. Several other antiobesity molecules are in different phases of investigation: rimonabant, topiramate and axokine are in phase III. Progressive research and knowledge of the various and different metabolic-regulating mechanisms should allow us to know how to deal with the obesity more efficiently.